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New York: After six years of intensive discussions, some 500 delegates have gathered at a United Nations meeting in Cali, Colombia, to hammer out an international agreement on access to the Earth's genetic resources and the fair and equitable share in benefits from their use.

New York: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has described appalling living conditions in slums as a violation of human rights, saying that helping the urban poor reclaim their rights strengthened societies and stemmed environmental degradation.

At a conference held in Hanoi today, organized by the State Bank of Vietnam and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), senior government officials, business people, academics, representatives of NGOs, and members of the media, discussed growth and poverty reduction in developing countries in Asia following the global economic crisis. The participants thanked the State Bank of Vietnam for its excellent organization and warm hospitality.

Despite the global financial crisis, economic growth in Côte d'Ivoire accelerated to 3.8 percent in 2009—achieving a positive per capita growth rate for the first time since 1998. Benefiting from abundant rainfall and the rise in world cocoa prices, in particular, agriculture achieved significant progress. Industry and services followed this good dynamic. The general consumer price index declined, reflecting improvements in supply at the national level and in import prices. The external current account shows a sizeable surplus, owing to a substantial improvement in the terms of trade.

At its meeting on 19 March 2010 the Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) elected Ambassador Yonov Frederick Agah of Nigeria as its new chairman. China stated full compliance with DSB rulings in trade-related aspects of intellectual property rights (TRIPS) case, and the EU announced agreement with Argentina in biotech dispute.

Workers of the world unite, you have nothing to lose but your chains. Punjab's political elite seems to have taken a cue from this call of the 1948 Communist Manifesto for unanimously supporting its move in the State Assembly seeking withdrawal of cases of “political vendetta” against prominent politicians.

After a year-long Congressional battle, overcoming Republican blockade, Democrats voted to give America a reformed health care system and President Barack Obama, the victory he desperately needed for his highest domestic priority. The outcome had turned crucial for his credibility in office. Yet, it was a narrow win - 219 to 212 - those against including 38 Democrats along with 178 Republicans.

New York: The situation faced by those uprooted by violence in Darfur region cannot be sustained, a senior United Nations official has said, calling for a two-track transition to promote development in the war-wracked Sudanese region.

New York: Marking the 50th anniversary of the massacre of protesters taking a peaceful stand against apartheid in South Africa, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has said that there is 'no room for racist and xenophobic acts' at this summer's soccer World Cup in the country, the first time the event will ever be held in Africa.

New York: Visiting Ramallah, where he witnessed the challenges Palestinians face first-hand, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon reiterated his commitment to help the Israeli and Palestinian sides reach a settlement in the next two years.